


Newfound Happiness

by venezuela18



Category: Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: Depression, F/M, Humor, Love, M/M, Mentions of Suicide, Neglect, Pain, Sisters, Spanish Translation, Venezuela, beijing, mentions of bullying, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2018-10-12 20:24:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10498818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/venezuela18/pseuds/venezuela18
Summary: This is the story about two Venezuelan sisters moving to Beijing due to their parents' job transfer. This story is almost completely different than the original plot of the 2010 version.





	1. Moving to Beijing

**Author's Note:**

> I had a friend telling me who should date who, but that doesn't sound fit to me. She decided that Liang should date Song (the older guy after Feng and Xiang) and Cheng should date Renata. I didn't agree so I ended up going my way. And just so you know, Keung is this cutie who wears a gray sleeveless shirt that said STZK. And Xing is a chubby guy with brown shirt.
> 
> Hope you like it! :D

Vita and Renata Lopez are twin sisters growing up in Caracas, Venezuela. They always got along well, besides a few silly fights when they were younger but that was in the past.

When they found out that their parents are moving to Beijng, China, they were happy that they could explore the world. Even better, they can have a new beginning after all they've been through. The family went outside and are putting all their suitcases in the car. The day before, they have a little goodbye party and they said they might come back if they wants to, which Vita and Renata are not happy about, but they didn't complain. 

“¿Estás lista?” (You girls ready?) Their mother, San Juana, asked. 

“Sí.” (Yeah.) The girls said in unison before hopping into the taxi.

They drove off to the airport called Simón Bolívar International Airport, which is an hour drive from their home. The girls popped in their headphones to listen to Spanish music. They liked to listen to music whenever they are bored, especially on car rides.

Since they were engrossed in their iPod-listening habit, they had made it to the airport sooner than they had expected.

“Vita, estamos aquí,” (Vita, we are here.) Renata nudged her twin sister.

Vita paused her music and pulled out her earbuds to find that they had made it to the airport with the sign Terminal Internacional on top of the mechanical sliding doors.

“Eso fue rápido,” (That was fast.) Vita muttered to herself before getting out of the van and shutting the door. They grabbed their stuff out of the trunk as they walked into the airport. Once they reached the plane, the family placed their stuff up on the overhead locker and took their seat.

“Lo tienes?” (You got it?) Their mother asked as Vita closed the luggage door with a few attempts. 

“Sí,” (Yes.) Vita replied as she sat down next to her mother who was sitting in the middle between her daughters. Unfortunately for them, each seat group only contains three, so their father, Jorge, had to sit across them.

“Mira, estamos en la lección diez.” (Look, we are on lesson ten.) Their mother stated excitedly as she looked at the Mandarin lesson on her laptop. “Ni hao ma? ¿Cómo éstas?” (How are you?) She pronounced with a smile on her face. “Ni jiao shenme ming zi? ¿Cómo te llamas?” (What's your name?) “¿Recuerda que uno?” (Remember that one?)

“Sí, me gusta mucho aprender el idioma.” (Yes, I particularly enjoy learning the language.)

“¿Y tú, Renata?” (And you, Renata?) her mother looked at her sister. She nodded, “Sí.” (Yes.)

Their mother smiled, “Muy bien.” (Very good.) She then took notice of their father tapping a relatively old Chinese man’s shoulder. “Mira a tú padre.” (Look at your father.) She said, jerking her head toward her husband.

The girls turned to their right and saw Jorge trying to speak Mandarin to the man with his Spanish accent.

“Ni hao ma? Ni jiao shenme ming zi?” He said with his Spanish accent. The man chuckled and shook his hand, saying something in Mandarin. He smiled and went back to reading his book called Comandante.

After they had landed in Beijing, everyone was getting off the plane, and the family went into the airport and they are instructed to meet some lady at number 5. All the numbers are in Chinese characters, so it was troubling for them since they hadn't learned the numbers yet. 

“Lopez?” They heard a lady called out. The family turned their heads from the tall signs to the Chinese lady with long black hair.

“Hi there!” They shook hands with the lady as they used English.

“Welcome to Beijing!” The lady welcome them.

Then they went into the van and the girls gracefully resumed their music-listening habit while the lady was telling the family about the bills.

After some thinking, Renata paused her iPod and pulled out her headphones. She nudged Vita who which in turn made her do the same thing with a questioning look on her face.

“¿Que pasa?” (What's up?)

“¿Crees que Beijing será bueno como pensábamos?” (Do you think Beijing will be good as we thought?) asked Renata.

“¡Por supuesto! ¡Apuesto que será divertido! ¿Por qué preguntaste?” (Of course! I bet it will be fun! Why do you asked?)

Renata shrugged with a smile. “Eh, solo busca tu opinión.” (Eh, just looking out for your opinion.)

“Relájese, estará bien! Siempre hay buenas en todas las situaciones.” (Relax, it'll be fine! There's always good in every situations.) Vita reassured her sister.

“Te creo. Sólo el hecho de que obviamente ni siquiera salimos del país. Creo que esto nos da una gran oportunidad para salir de nuestra cáscara de una manera, ¿sabes?” (I believe you. Just the fact that we obviously never even left the country. I think this gives us a great opportunity to get out of our shell in a way, you know?) replied Renata.

“¡Ese es el espíritu!” (That's the spirit!) exclaimed Vita, patting her on the back.

"Sí, podemos experimentar todas las otras cosas diferentes. Como aprender a usar los palitos chinos, para empezar. Uno de mis colegas tiene un primo que trabajó aquí en China. Él tiene que hacer un montón de cosas diferentes, en comparación con lo que teníamos en Venezuela." (Yeah, we get to experience all the other different things. Such as learning how to use chopsticks, for starter. One of my colleague has a cousin who worked here in China. He got to do a whole bunch of different things, comparing to what we had back in Venezuela.) Jorge stated his opinion. The girls nodded in agreement.

The van had finally pulled up to an apartment building with the golden sign “Beverly Hills Luxury Apartment.”

“Compruébelo, chicas. Beverly Hills. Uno de los alrededores de América.” (Check it out, girls. Beverly Hills. One of the area over there in America.) Jorge looked at the sign before looking back at the family. “Muy genial, ¿eh?” (Pretty cool, huh?)

They agreed before a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes approached them, who were taking their luggages out of the trunk.

“Oh yeah, you must be the newbies in 304. I’m Harry.” He extended his arm for each girls to shake.

“Hi, I'm Renata,” she said with her Spanish accent as she shook Harry’s hand.

“And I'm Vita,” she did the same as her sister.

“Here, let me help you.” Harry offered as he grabbed the suitcases from the trunk.

“Thanks,” The girl chorused.

“Que caballero.” (Such a gentleman.) Renata said to Vita.

“Lo sé, ¿verdad?” (I know, right?) She smiled.

As they went inside the building, Harry asked, “So, how come you guys moved to China?”

“Our parents got transferred,” Vita stated.

“They work in the car factory,” Renata finished. Harry nodded.

As they went upstairs, their parents are confused by the electricity card and had the lady explain it since they never had them in Venezuela.

Harry greets an old man who's working on the window plant before turning to the girls. 

“Know any Chinese?” Harry asked them.

“Yes, some. We've been learning them ever since we found out we are moving here earlier this week.” Renata explained.

“Cool, where are you guys from?”

“We’re from Caracas, Venezuela.” Vita replied.

“That's cool.” Harry replied.

“Oh, that's our park. You should come,” said Harry as he noticed the girls looking out the window.

Their parents took notice of their daughters’ new friend.

“Oh, ya hacer panos.” (Oh, making friends already.) Their mother noticed gleefully.

“Hi, we’re Renata and Vita’s parents. I’m San Juana and this is Jorge.” They shook hands with Harry.

“I’m Harry.”

“Hi Harry, nice to meet you,” their parents greeted before walking in.

“So, I guess I'll see you later, then?”

“Okay,” the girls chorused and Harry left.

Then, the door next to them opened, revealing another American with cornrows. He seems to overheard their little commotion.

“Oh! Hey, what's up?” greeted the American as he noticed two girls staring out the window.

The girls turned around and smiled as they saw the American kid.

“Oh, hello there!” They said in unison.

“Hi, are you guys new here?”

“Yes, we moved here just now,” Vita stated.

“From Caracas, Venezuela,. It's a Spanish speaking place,” Renata added.

"Cool," said the American boy.

“I’m Renata.”

“And I'm Vita.” They both shook hand with the American.

“I’m Dre and I'm from America.” He introduced himself.

“What part?” Vita asked.

“Detroit, Michigan.”

“Cool. Hey do you guy want to go to the park?” Renata asked.

“Yeah, sure.” “Sí.” (Yes.) They agreed on her invitation. 

They walked to the park and and found teenagers playing basketball, elderly women doing yoga, old men playing ping-pong, and a girl playing violin.

“Hey guys, you made it. Welcome.” They heard a familiar voice and saw Harry walking toward them holding a basketball. He tossed it to Dre who caught it.

“You play, right?” Harry asked him.

“Yeah.”

“We'll watch from the sidelines,” said Renata.

“Cool,” said Harry and they went off playing.

They watched Dre play with a couple other Chinese kids. They laughed when Dre missed the hoop badly.

Just then, something caught Vita’s eyes.

“Mira, un chico te está mirando.” (Look, some boy is looking at you.) Renata saw what Vita was talking about. Yes, a boy was wearing a blue T-shirt and a gray cap with the rim facing the nape of his neck. He was definitely staring at her.

“Realmente, podría esta mirándote.” (Really, he could be looking at you.) Renata suggested.

“No, lo puedo ver desde la distancia. Él definitivamente te está mirando.” (No, I can see it from the distance. He's definitely looking at you.)

“¿Debería hablar con él?” (Should I talk to him?)

“Por favor.” (Please.) Vita extended her arm facing the front of her like a royal entrance.

Renata, without thinking, walked over to the area where the boys are goofing off, playing hacky sack. The boy who was staring at Renata must've told his friends that he'll talk to the new girl because they laughed as the boy with the hat approached Renata. 

“Ni hao, I figured you speak English,” Renata began.

“Not that good, but I understand.” His English is a bit off, which made her smile. “I'm Zhuang.” He extended his hand.

She gladly accepted his hand. “I'm Renata. Nice to meet you. I'm from Venezuela. We speak Spanish over there. It's my first day here.”

“Interesting,” Zhuang smiled.

“That's my sister over there. The one talking to the girl on the bench.” Renata turned around and noticed her sister talking to the girl who was playing violin.

“Cool. So, um…” He scratched the back of his neck. “Would you like to meet my friends?”

“Yeah, I’d love to.” She smiled enthusiastically.

They walked over to where he was hanging out with his friends, who abruptly stopped as they noticed Zhuang returning with a girl.

“Hey, Zhuang, who's your little girlfriend?” asked a boy with black hair and brown eyes that can be mistaken as black with a teasing smile on his face as he spoke in Mandarin. 

“Her name is Renata. And she just moved here, Cheng. She's not my girlfriend… yet.” Zhuang mouthed the last word with an annoyed look on his face. Renata understands a couple of words but still doesn't fully understand their conversation.

“Hi, I'm Cheng.” He waved at Renata. “And this is Liang, Xing, and my Keung.” He wrapped his arm around his boyfriend's shoulder, making him smile.

This made Renata raise her eyebrows but smiled. “That's cute.” She and her family are one of those people who have no problem with gay people. 

“So, I'll see you at school tomorrow?” asked Zhuang.

“Yeah, I think. Beijing high school, correct?” asked Renata.

“Then I'll definitely see you.” Zhuang smiled enthusiastically.

\--

Later that night, Renata filled in on Vita that she met Zhuang and how she met his friends. Vita was excited and filled in on her that she saw Dre meeting the violin girl who turned out to be Mei Ying.

“Y Zhuang ... ¡es tan lindo!” (And Zhuang… he's so cute!) said Renata.

“Puedo ver que ya te has enamorado de él.” (I can see that you already had a crush on him.) said Vita amusedly.

“No sé exactamente, pero puedo decir que estoy deseando verlo mañana en la escuela.” (I don't know exactly, but I can say that I am looking forward to seeing him tomorrow at school.)

Vita thought for a moment before saying “Sí, tu tiene un enamoramiento de él. Buenas noches.” (Yup, you have a crush on him. Good night.) and with that, she turned over to face the wall, quickly pulling up her cover. Renata mused how her sister can be so comical sometimes before going to sleep and ended up dreaming about Zhuang.


	2. First Day of School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guy remember the older looking guys who was involved with beating up Dre after he splashed dirty water at them, good for you! Find the picture of the whole gang right before they got beaten up by Mr. Han and remember this, (other than Cheng, Zhuang, and Liang) from left to right is Xiang, Feng, and Song. Just so you guys won't be confused.

The next day, the girls are getting ready to go to school.

Their parents had read over the school dress code so they had to wear their regular clothes. Their uniform days are once every two weeks.

Renata likes to wear flower embroidery shirt while Vita likes plain shirt with flannel plaid button up over it.

“Solo para que sepas, ya hablé con la Sra. Po para no "avergonzarte". (Just so you know, I already talked to Ms. Po so I wouldn't “embarrass” you.) San Juana chuckled as she air quoted.

“Gracias. Se convierte en una historia de horror una vez que golpeó la escuela media.” (Thanks. It turns into a horror story once you hit middle school.) said Vita, which made them laugh.

“Entiendo tu situación. Tuve que aprender de esa manera difícil.” (I understand your situation. I had to learn that the hard way.) said Jorge as he read his book.

“Sí, me acordé de eso.” (Yeah, I remember that.) San Juana turned to the girls. “Ahora continúa. No quieres llegar tarde. Tenga un buen día.” (Now go on. You don't want to be late. Have a good day.)

“Vale.” (Okay.) and with that, the girls left to school.

As they walked to school, Vita smiled at her sister, knowing what's gonna happen today.

“Ya sabes. Zhuang. Tu pequeño enamorado.” (You know. Zhuang. Your little crush.)

Renata blushed. “Vale, vale. Pensé anoche. Él es tan lindo, aunque. Más de un tipo adorable de manera.” (Okay, okay. I did some thinking last night. He is so cute, though. More of an adorable kind of way.)

"Mucho mejor que esos idiotas en casa." (Way better than those idiots back home.) Vita stated.

Renata nodded and saw Dre with his mother talking to Ms. Po.

“Hi, Dre!” The girls greeted in unison.

Dre turned around and smiled as he saw his new friends. “Hey, guys!”

His mother noticed the girls and smiled widely. “Oh, more friends! Hi, I'm Dre’s mother. You can call me Miss Sherry.”

“Hi, Miss Sherry. I’m Renata and this is my twin sister Vita.”

“Hi, nice to meet you.” They shook hands.

“Nice to meet you,” replied Vita as they walked in.

“I love you Dre!” They heard his mother called out.

Dre turned around, looking embarrassed. “Mom!”

Sherry just looked at him. “I said I love you.”

“I love you too.” He looked like he want to jump off a cliff. The girls laughed as they continued walking.

“¿Listo?” (Ready?) Vita asked Renata.

“Prepararme mentalmente.” (Preparing myself mentally.) Renata replied with a warm smile, her face heating up.

“Uh… what are ya’ll talking about?” Dre asked with a confused look on his face, though he knows they're speaking Spanish.

“Oh! I'm sorry. Renata met her crush yesterday at the park,” said Vita.

“Cool, does he goes here?” asked Dre, his smile growing.

“Yes. Thankfully.” Renata whispered at the last part.

“I heard that,” Vita laughed.

“I met the girl with the violin yesterday. Her name’s Mei Ying,” said Dre.

“That's cool. I’ll bet she goes here,” said Renata.

“She does.”

“Good.”

“What's up with the uniform, by the way?” Vita spoke up.

Dre rolled his eyes. “My mom didn't read the school dress code.” The girls chuckled. "We actually have to wear our uniform at school every day. It's a good thing because it's less time consuming as we need to focus on our education," said Renata. "Oh geez," Dre shook his head. He didn't like wearing uniform too much but he do have to agree with Renata. 

Then, the bell rang and they went off to their separate class; Vita went to her English class, Dre to his history class, and Renata to her math class.

As she walked in, she looked around at the class for an empty seat. Then, she was greeted by her teacher.

“Hi, you must be new. Nice to meet you. I'm Ms. Li.” She shook Renata’s hand. “Have a seat over there.”

She went to her assigned seat. Nobody took the seat around her so she assumed they're still on their way.

She took out her spiral notebook to get started when she saw Zhuang walking in.

Even better? He sits next to her!

Renata had to control her giddy sensation as Zhuang saw her, a big smile on his face.

“Hi, Zhuang.”

“Hi, Renata,” he replied. 

“Okay, everyone! We have a new student sitting over there. Her name is Renata. Please make her feel welcome.” The class looked at her and said hi to which she greeted back silently. She wasn't too used to public speaking.

The class would've been kinda boring, despite her likeness toward math. But thanks to Zhuang, made everything better.

Lunch time came and Renata picked up her tray. However, she struggled with the chopsticks. She never had one of those back in Venezuela.

Just then, she felt someone tapping her shoulder.

She turned around and saw Zhuang with a smile on his face.

“Hi,” Zhuang chirped.

“Hey,” Renata smiled.

Zhuang noticed her struggle with the chopsticks.

“I never used one of these things back in Venezuela.”

“Here, let me help you,” Zhuang took her chopsticks and started putting her food into her tray.

“Thanks,” Renata smiled.

“Renata!” They heard a familiar voice called out.

They turned around and saw Vita sitting with Zhuang’s friends. Little did Renata noticed, Vita was sitting next to Liang. However, Zhuang suspected that familiar tactic and smiled mischievously.

“Hey, guys,” Renata greeted.

“Hi,” they all said back.

“You remember their names, right?” asked Zhuang. Renata thought for a moment before nodding.

“Yeah, except for those three.” She gestured to the older looking boys.

“Oh yeah, that's Feng, Xiang, and Song.” Zhuang introduced them to her.

“Hi,” she waved.

“Hey,” they waved back.

Renata turned to her sister. “¿Qué estás haciendo, hermana?" (What are you up to, sis?)

“Pues, en mi clase de inglés, conocí a Liang quien se sentó a mi lado." (Well, in my English class, I met Liang who sat next to me.) 

Renata sensed some pre-romance, so she grinned.

“So, what do you guys do for a living?” Renata asked. 

“We all do kung fu,” Xiang spoke up. “However, we must be diligent in everything we do.”

“And I'm the best. They can't resist my moves,” said Cheng. Zhuang rolled his eyes and turned to Renata while Keung smiled at his boyfriend’s silliness.

“Yeah, he always brag about himself. He is such a center of attention,” said Zhuang amusedly while Cheng pouted which made Renata laugh.

“Let me tell you a little about my friends. Cheng; you already know. Liang, he’s a smart, levelheaded, rational guy. Once, I claimed he’s doing that to get the ladies.”

Renata giggled while Liang rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

“Keung is the guy who's always eager to tease us to no end.”

Keung laughed, “True.”

“Xing…” Zhuang shook his head in amusement. “Xing’s a weirdo.” The gang laughed while Xing rolled his eyes.

“Ah-ah, that's not nice,” Renata couldn't hold back her amused giggle.

“Well, he do act like one. He is a forever alone guy,” joked Liang and they laughed again.

“Haha, okay,” Renata chuckled.

“Xiang, oh my god, he is crazy funny,” Zhuang continued. “The way he laugh is funnier than any of our jokes.” Renata laughed.

“Still don't know why but whatever,” said Xiang amusedly while he bit into his lunch.

“Feng, he is the one with a girlfriend named Biyu. The only straight dude with a girl in this group.”

“Not for long,” Feng spoke in Mandarin while playfully narrowed his eyes to Zhuang.

Zhuang gave him an annoyed look, though he was blushing but shook his head in amusement.

“And lastly, Song. He’s the same as Xiang. But less funnier.” He whispered the last one as he leaned into Renata.

“I heard that,” said Song.

“It's good to know all of you,” Renata smiled while Vita nodded her head in agreement.

“Don't forget; Zhuang acts like a kid sometimes. He is very picky with food as well,” Liang finished while eating his chow meins. Zhuang rolled his eyes.

“How about you, Renata?” Zhuang asked.

“Well, I like to study math whenever I’m bored,” she replied. “I also like reading, too.”

“I like reading as well. And I like studying different languages. I speak English and Italian. I'm currently learning Mandarin. Maybe there will be more for me in the future.”

\--

Later that night, the sisters are talking to each other about their day.

“Así que, cuéntame más sobre Liang.” (So, tell me more about Liang.) Renata grinned.

“Como ya sabes, me siento a su lado en inglés, caligrafía, arte y ciencia.” (As you already know, I sit next to him in English, calligraphy, art and science.)

“Ugh, suerte. Más clases con tu enamoramiento. Pero, oh, bueno. Mejor que nunca. ¿Qué piensas de él?" (Ugh, lucky. More classes with your crush. But oh well. Better than never. What do you think of him?)

"Dios mío, él... es... tan... ¡guapo!” (Oh my god, he… is… so… handsome!)

“Chica, lo sabía. Sólo lo sabía.” (Girl, I knew it. I just knew it.) Renata chuckled while Vita blushed.

“Me dijo que él es el mejor estudiante en todas sus clases. Me parece atractivo que los chicos son realmente inteligentes.” (He told me that he is the top student in all his classes. I find it attractive that guys are really smart.) They both shared a laugh.

“Buenas noches, hermana.” (Good night, sister.) said Renata and they turned in for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Renata, Vita, and Dre are walking together to school and they are telling Dre about their time with their crushes. They didn't have time to talk with each other because they're busy with their homeworks.

“So anyway, I sat next Zhuang in math and calligraphy class. Sucks that we don't have that many classes together but two classes are better than never. He is such a cutie! His friends said he acts childish, but I think it's adorable. He actually helped me with my food into the tray. We never had the experience using those chopsticks back home. I felt my face red,” explained Renata.

Dre laughed and turned to Vita, “And how about you, Vita?”

Vita blushed, “Well, I met a handsome boy named Liang in my English class. We also have calligraphy, art, and science together. Not to mention lunch. I started blushing when he told me that he is the top student in all his classes. I find it attractive when guys are smart, not fleabags who used girls to “boost their popularity” or something.” Vita recalled witnessing that back in Venezuela. She and her sister decided it'll be best to ignore them and wait for the right guy.

“So, how about you and Mei Ying?” asked Renata.

“Well, yesterday I found out that we have history, English, and math class together. It was awesome,” Dre smiled, also blushing. “You know, it'll be really lit if we all shares the same classes throughout the day.”

“Lit?” The girls looked at each other confused.

“It's the American slang. We have a lot of them. For us, lit is basically another word for cool, awesome, amazing, stuff like that.”

“Oh, cool,” they nodded.

The bell had rang and they walked off to their usual class.

As Vita walked in her English class, she smiled as he saw him preparing for today’s lesson.

“Hi, Liang,” she greeted as she took her seat.

“Hey, Vita,” Liang waved, smiling. Vita blushed. Before she had a chance to strike up a conversation, their teacher Mr. Liu started lecturing, then handed out assignment to the students, explaining that it's due at the end of the class. Some kids groaned, not being able to have more time if they need it.

“Relax, it's not even that hard. We went through this topic yesterday,” Mr. Liu spoke.

While the students was doing their work, Liang can't help but glance at Vita and hastily looked away so she wouldn't notice.

He had took a liking to her as soon as they met. He adores that thick Spanish accent of hers. He also likes hearing her saying his name in her native accent. But, despite being the smart guy in general, he actually don't know how to start a conversation with her. She's not like any other girls… she's such a nice, warm girl. Liang knew he talked to her for like a day but she seems like a nice girl. He looked at other girls sometimes but they didn't interest him. "Maybe I like foreigners," Liang thought to himself. 

Vita had also liked Liang even before they've met. Not that much when she first saw him, but she sensed maturity in him. He looks like the guy who's sophisticated with anyone he’s met. But as soon as they met, she liked him even more. He is a levelheaded and rational guy, like Zhuang said. And he is such a handsome boy. He’s unlike those rowdy kids back in Venezuela. They are always loud and dates lots of girls. Not to mention the pain she had when she experienced the meaningless relationship with Mateo. 

After the bell had rung, Liang and Vita are walking together to their next separate class.

"You know," Vita began, "back at my old school, we have to wear our uniform every day."

"Really?" Vita nodded. "And you have it here every two weeks. Especially on field trips."

"Yes, we do," Liang nodded, smiling at her. He really liked talking to her. Of course, he spoke with some foreigners but in this case was different. It is quite rare that they have Latino transfer students. Perhaps he realized that it was the specific foreign areas he liked.

“Well, I'll see you later,” Vita waved as she went to the different direction.

“Bye,” Liang waved back.

\--

After school had ended for the day, Liang decided to hang out with Vita, just talking and getting to know each other, while his friends was goofing around, with the exception of Zhuang, who's talking to Renata about a mile away from his friends. It's a funny coincidence that the sisters are talking to their crushes, away from each other. There's no doubt their friends are teasing them with their “lovers”, as they liked to call it.

"So what got you interested in learning these languages?" Liang asked.

"I always thought they're fun and interesting. It get you to be more closer to the rest of the world. My parents taught me and my sister English when we were like 6, so that explains we spoke it well."

"That's cool. I learned English when I was in the 3rd grade at a primary school. However, it wasn't deemed a requirement because not all of us spoke English. But most of us chose to speak it for benefits."

Vita smiled and nodded in understanding.

"And you also like Italian, too," said Liang.

"Oh yeah, I like them. It's pretty similar to Spanish like Chinese is with Cantonese." Liang nodded in agreement.

Cut to Renata and Zhuang, they were talking, with Zhuang ignoring his friends' teasing.

"So, uh... what happened when you found out you're moving to China?" Zhuang was just curious because they always get international students, mostly from America but he doesn't think he'd ever met one from the Latino origins. So he just want to hear her opinion.

"Well, me and my sister were happy. My parents works at a car factory. We get to explore another parts of the world." Renata felt she wants to tell him about what happened for the past 3 years. But she couldn't. Not now.

"That's cool," Zhuang replied.

Just then, Renata’s phone buzzed, and she picked it up. It was a text from her mom, telling her to come home for dinner.

“Well, I better go,” said Renata as she put her phone back into her pocket. “See you tomorrow.”

“Hey, can I walk with you?” asked Zhuang.

“Sure,” and they retreated back to her apartment complex.

“How are you liking China so far?”

“I like it very much. I read about the culture. It was amazing.”

“Thank you. Hey, um, can I have your number?”

“Yeah!” Renata was glad he asked that. She would've hesitate for a long period of time.

They exchanged their number. They both felt a giddy sensation inside their chests. Zhuang wondered when he's going to tell her. Renata simply wonders the day he’ll tell her.

It wasn't a long way home so Zhuang was pretty surprised that she lived pretty close to the park.

“Oh, I didn't realize you live pretty close.”

“Yeah, we do. I like coming to the park,” Renata waved and walked off to her apartment complex. 

“¡Renata, espérame!” (Renata, wait for me.) They heard Vita yelled. Turning around, they saw her running up to them.

“¿Qué pasa, hermana?” (What's up, sis?) Vita asked as she was catching her breath.

“Zhuang me estaba llevando a casa.” (Zhuang was walking me home.) His ears perked up at the mention of his name, though he have no idea what they're talking about. 

“Que agradable.” (How nice.) Vita smiled. “¿Adivina qué? Liang me dio su número de teléfono. (Guess what? Liang gave me his phone number.) Zhuang smirked because he heard his friend's name being mentioned. He could've sworn he heard something that sounds like "telephone", but if he'd guessed correctly, then Vita was probably talking about Liang giving her his phone number. 

“¿Realmente? Zhuang me dio la suya también.” (Really? Zhuang gave me his too.)

“Guau, las grandes mentes piensan igual.” (Wow, great minds think alike.) Renata nodded in agreement.

“Well, I’d better head to Kung Fu practice. See you later, Renata,” Zhuang waved before running back to his friends.

“Ya sabes,” (You know…) Renata began as soon as he was out of earshot. “Esperaba que me lo dijera.” (I was hoping he’ll tell me.)

“¿Le dirá qué?” (Tell you what?) asked Vita.

“Que le gusto.” (That he likes me.)

“Ya sabes, yo también estaba pensando eso. Quiero decir, Liang…” (You know, I was thinking that too. I mean, Liang…) she sighed. “Mayor perfección.” (Major perfection.)

“¿De qué hablaron ustedes?” (What did y'all talk about?)

"(Mi intereses en idiomas. ¿Y tú?)My interests in languages. And you?"

"Acerca de mudarse aquí. (About moving here.)" Renata replied.

Vita nodded. “Oye, ¿tenemos deberes?” (That's cool. Hey, do we have homework?) asked Vita as they walked up the stairs.

“Sí. Esa tarea en inglés. Actualmente, no fue difícil si me preguntas.” (Yeah. That English homework. Actually, it wasn't hard if you ask me.)

“Tu tiene la Señora Liu, ¿verdad?” (You do have Mrs. Liu, right?)

“Sí,” (Yeah.) Renata nodded. “Me gusta ella, ella es agradable.” (I like her, she's nice.)

“Yo también.” (Me too.)

They walked in the apartment to find their parents preparing dinner.

“Hola, mamá, papá.” (Hey, mom, dad.) The sister chorused.

“Hola, niñas. ¿Cómo era la escuela?” (Hi, girls. How was school?) asked San Juana.

“Bien,” (Fine.) they said in unison.

“Es bueno. La cena está lista.” (That's good. Dinner's ready.)

They settled in at the table as the family talks about their day. They were surprised that their crushes gave them their phone numbers. And the girls nodded in response for their day at work, despite Dre’s mother working at the same job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for some bad parts -_- Let me know if they're any ideas you want me to add.


	4. Visiting the Fighting Dragons Dojo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if I took forever. I had been busy with my school works and family plans. Hope you guys like this one!

“Okay guys, so today I'm going to hand out the permission slip to the Forbidden City, which is tomorrow.”

Mrs. Li is walking around in her class, handing out a piece of paper to each student, announcing the field trip to the Forbidden City the following day. All the students cheered because they get to miss a whole day of school to visit a wonderful place in Beijing.

“So,” Zhuang said to Renata, who looked at him. “Have you heard of the Forbidden City?”

Renata shook her head. “No, but I would love to see it.”

“Trust me, you're gonna love it.”

“I believe you,” Renata smiled. Zhuang blushed and turned away hastily so she wouldn't see.

Renata wondered what that about. But she kind of knew what it is. But she could be wrong.

Lunch time came and the sisters managed to catch up with each other, telling their fill of the day.

“¿Recibiste ese permiso de permiso a la Ciudad Prohibida?” (Did you get that permission slip to the Forbidden City?) asked Renata.

“¡Sí! No puedo esperar a verlo. Liang me dijo que hay un montón de cosas interesantes en China.” (Yeah! I can't wait to see it. Liang told me that there are a lot of cool stuff in China.) Vita beamed.

“Apuesto a que vas a terminar sentado a su lado en el autobús.” (I bet you're gonna end up sitting next to him on the bus.) Renata teased.

“Estoy bastante seguro de que lo haré. Lo mismo ocurre contigo y Zhuang.” (I am pretty sure I will. Same goes with you and Zhuang.)

“Sí. Ya sabes, cuando me dijo que me va a encantar, yo estaba como, "Yo te creo", y luego se volvió. Creo que es porque de repente se estaba sonrojando o algo así.” (Yeah. You know, when he told me that I'm gonna love it, I was like, "I believe you," and then he turned away. I think it's because suddenly he was blushing or something.)

“Tal vez lo hizo.” (Maybe he did.) Vita shrugged.

As they approached the lunchroom, they picked up their tray. Zhuang and Liang approached them, fully aware of their struggles with the chopsticks.

“I gotta learn how to use one of these,” Vita admitted.

“I can teach you,” Liang suggested, though he can feel the stares from his ridiculous friends at the table.

“I would like that very much.”

“You heard Liang, I'm doing it too,” said Zhuang and Renata flashed a grin at him.

The four walked to their usual table and sat down.

“Wow, I know just exactly what's going on. Both of you guys have a crush on them. You make it so obvious,” teased Cheng when he spoke in his native tongue.

Zhuang rolled his eyes. “Okay, yes, you got us. But don't you tell them.”

Cheng looked affronted. “I wouldn't do that.”

“Whatever,” said Liang. The girls were confused what they're saying but let it slide.

They continue eating until Song abruptly spoke up.

“Oh, I almost forgot. What's it like in Venezuela?”

Renata shrugged. “It's nice, I guess. Family and friends. But some people acts dumb in school. Most of the guys are kind of stupid.”

Vita continued chuckling a little uncomfortably, “Yeah, most of them dates a lot of girls as some sick games. Almost like practical jokes. But we knew now not to fall for their trap. Learning from what happened to me," Vita mumbled at the last sentence so quietly they could barely comprehend it. 

They nodded, a little taken aback by how tense the girls are at the subject, judging by noticing that they looked like they don't want to talk about it. Song felt a little guilty for even asking in the first place. 

“Oh, yeah,” Zhuang turned to face Renata. “You already remember that we do Kung Fu for a living, right?”

“Yeah, I remember,” Renata nodded.

“Would you like to check out my Kung Fu class?”

“I would love to,” Renata agreed.

“How about you, Vita?” Liang offered. Vita nodded with a smile on her face.

\--

Later that day, the girls were walking to the park. It was a bit of uncomfortable silence because of their past.

“Ya sabes, cuando Song nos preguntó cómo estaba Venezuela, yo estaba tensa porque por alguna razón, me recuerda lo que pasó. Con Mateo.” (You know, when Song asked us how was Venezuela, I was tense because for some reason, it reminds me of what happened. With Mateo.) said Vita.

“Ohh. Sí, lo recuerdo.” (Ohh. Yeah, I remember that.) Renata nodded in understanding.

Back in Venezuela, Mateo was a guy Vita used to like. But Vita didn't think of him as some sort of player who dates a girl, gets bored and cheated on her with another girl, and dates that girl, and so on. She didn't think of that because he plays a role as a gentleman. Plus, she didn't witness him doing those things to a girl.

She and Mateo started dating not long after she got to know him, ignoring her sister's warnings about him.

Flashback to two months prior

Vita was walking down the hallway at Caracas high school, eager to see her boyfriend Mateo.

However, her excitement changed drastically to shock and anger.

She caught him making out with another girl, a tall brunette with a pink blouse. She stormed up to them, dragging the girl roughly off of Mateo.

“¡Oye! ¡¿Qué crees que estás haciendo?!” (Hey! What do you think you're doing?!) Vita yelled, grabbing a few attention.

“Uh... uh... yo estaba... um…” (Uh... uh... I was... um…) Mateo stammered, looking for a excuse for what he's doing now. But Vita knew exactly what's going on anyway.

“¡No me mientas, Mateo!” (Don't lie to me, Mateo!) Vita scolded, anger lacing in her eyes. “Eres uno de esos jugadores, ¿no?” (You're one of those players, aren't you?)

No response coming from Mateo said it all.

“Increíble. No puedo creer que fui tan estúpida como para salir contigo. Es demasiado bueno para ser verdad! Mi hermana tenía razón. Eres un idiota estúpido, egoísta y de mente estrecha. Y no vengas volviendo a mí.” (Unbelievable. I can't believe I was stupid enough to date you. It is too good to be true! My sister was right. You are a stupid, selfish, narrow-minded idiot. And don't come crawling back to me.) Vita pointed her finger at Mateo’s face before punching him hard in his arm.

“Ow!” Mateo exclaimed, clutching his arm.

“¡Oye! ¡No le hables así a él.” (Hey! Don't you talk like that to him!) Vita turned to the girl Mateo was making out with.

“¡Cállate, tu puta!” (Shut up, you slut!) Vita’s response was met with an offended look on her face. Suddenly, Vita smacked her across the face. The bell rang and Vita stormed off to her first class, leaving Mateo astonished and the girl holding her red cheek.

Her depression had been worse since.

Present

“Espero que Liang no sea como Mateo.” (I hope Liang won't be like Mateo.)

“Oh, lo dudo mucho.” (Oh, I highly doubt so.) Renata reassured.

“Si tú lo dices.” (If you say so.)

They walked to the park where they had planned to meet up with the guys.

“Hey, Renata!” Zhuang waved as soon the girls were at earshot.

“Hi, Zhuang!” Renata waved back.

“Hey, Vita,” Liang greeted.

“Hi, Liang,” Vita greeted back.

“Well, let's go,” Cheng announced, pointing off as if starting an adventure.

They all went to the Fighting Dragons dojo. It wasn't too far off from the park.

After they walked to the dojo, their teacher, Master Li looked curiously at the girls. Assuming they don't know Mandarin, he spoke to them in English.

“I bet you want to take our Kung Fu class. Well, you need some basic training,” Master Li asked snidely in his gruff voice. Zhuang told them Master Li was rather mean, so they wouldn't be surprised. Liang also told them that he slaps students if they showed mercy, even by accident.

“Actually, me and my sister are here to watch,” Renata corrected his statement.

After some hesitation, he finally replied, “As long as you're not a distraction.”

“Thanks,” and with that, the girls went to take a seat at the stairs on the west side from the entrance while the boys went to the dressing room to change into their uniform.

Sometime later, Liang and Zhuang were sparring. Both girls were a bit nervous for them, but also rooting for them since this was an advanced class. Sometimes later, they're having a spar sessions. At one point when Zhuang flipped Liang on his stomach, he tries to hit him, but he hesitated. Both girls realized what this mean, and they adjusted their seating nervously.

“What are you doing?” Zhuang looked up at his teacher. “Why did you stop?”

“Finish!” Master Li suddenly bellowed out. Zhuang backhanded Liang at the back of his neck, causing him to yelp.

“Come here.”

Both girls are confused by what Master Li is saying but they knew from the look of poor Zhuang’s face, even from the distance, that something wasn't right and realized he’s gonna slap him.

Master Li had raised his hand and smacked him hard, so hard that it sent poor baby Zhuang stumbling on the floor, causing him to yelp.

Both girls successfully concealed their winces.

“Oh Dios, mi pobre bebé." (Oh god, my poor baby.) Renata thought sadly to herself.

“Stand!” Master Li bellowed. As if he pushed a button, everyone stood erect and stiff. Master Li stood up, adjusted the hem of his black robe, he started walking around, scanning every boy’s concentration.

“We do not stop when our enemy is down. No mercy… No mercy in the studio… No mercy in competition… No mercy in life!” He continued yammering on about how there's no mercy no matter where, though the girls have no idea what he's saying.

Later on at the end of the day, the class had wrapped up and the sisters had caught up with Zhuang and Liang as they head outside.

“I can't believe he hit you.” She couldn't hold back her shock when she saw Master Li, the big, gruff man, smacking a small boy with a child-like feature.

“He hits everyone,” Liang replied, shaking his head.

“Except for Cheng. Lucky jerk,” said Zhuang, crossing his arm with a scowl on his cute face.

“I feel sorry for you guys,” Vita sympathized.

“Yeah, one time I got hit because I accidentally showed mercy when I was sparring with Keung.” Liang placed his hand on his cheek where he had hit him. “He did it hard! Although I didn't stumble as much as Zhuang did.”

“I can see that,” Renata replied. “How often does he hit?”

“Umm… quite often. We try not to, though,” replied Zhuang. “I got hit like ten times. I think that was the most out of everyone.”

Renata gasped. “Aww, you poor thing!” She squeezed him into a hug and let go a couple seconds later. She wanted it to last longer.

Liang had to hold back his laughter. He knew the day will come sooner or later.

"Thank you," said Zhuang.

“I know what this is about,” Liang mumbled in Mandarin. Zhuang looked up at him and gave him an annoyed look, which made Liang laugh.

“Well, we'll see you later, guys,” Zhuang waved before walking home with Liang on the right direction along with several other boys. 

“Bye,” they said in unison as they waved, before going off to the opposite direction.

“Hi, Cheng, hi Keung,” the girls greeted.

“Hey, guys,” both boys greeted.

“You guys are so cute together!” Renata quipped.

“Thank you. He’s my man,” Keung replied.

“I remember the first time seeing him. He was so cute!” added Cheng, which made Keung blush and kissed his cheek. He tasted bitter sweat but he didn't care.

“That's so adorable," commented Vita.

“That's what my girlfriend Biyu said,” Feng spoke up.

Eventually, they bidded goodbyes and the girls walked back to their apartment. They did their usual routine, talking with Dre and Harry and eating dinner in their own apartment.

As they went to sleep, Renata couldn't stop thinking when she hugged Zhuang. It felt nice, kind of like hugging a little baby. She is definitely looking forward for more, and her heart fluttered at the thought of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Excuse my biased cuteness overload description of Zhuang. I just gotta let my feelings out and just... You know. Ugh, he's so freaking precious! He's like a little baby. I love him, so adorable!


	5. Forbidden City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been forever since I'd last updated. I have a stupid writer block for some parts. But I did have an idea that the girls have bigger story of what they've gone through in their lives in Venezuela, more than what they've mentioned during the bus ride.

The day of the field trip came and the girls were excited. Remembering the packet Mrs. Po sent the other day, they threw on their uniform. 

“No puedo creer que el día esté aquí. Llegamos a mirar alrededor de la Ciudad Prohibida.” (I can't believe the day's here. We get to look around the Forbidden City.) Renata beamed.

“¡Lo sé! Me pregunto qué cosas geniales tienen en esa gran puerta.” (I know! I wonder what cool stuff they hold within that big gate.)

Zhuang had texted Renata, telling her a brief details he knew about the Forbidden City since he had visited twice in his life, especially about the big gate with golden knob that provides good luck. She didn't know the Chinese culture would be so cool.

“Pues, vamos, no quiero esperar más!” (Well, come on, I don't want to wait any longer!) Renata exclaimed, grabbing Vita’s wrist and ran out the door.

“Adiós, niñas,” (Bye, girl.) San Juana bidded, even though they're already gone.

As they walked by, they saw Dre and Harry coming out of their apartment. As soon as he saw them clad in their uniform, his face fell.

“Crap,” he muttered to himself, facepalming.

“Too late to go back and change, huh?” said Harry.

“Yeah. Next time, just remind me,” replied Dre.

“Okay, then,” Harry shrugged, smiling.

Within minutes, they arrive to school and saw everyone also wearing the uniform. It took awhile for the girls to find Zhuang and Liang with their friends.

“Feng, Xiang and Song are a grade above us so they can't come today. But they went last year as juniors," said Zhuang. 

“Yeah, the school always take juniors to the Forbidden City every year,” Xing added.

Not too long after, the bus arrived. The kids walked in one by one. As soon as everybody settled in, Mrs. Po got up in front of the bus.

“Hi, everyone! Today, I'll be your assistant for the field trip to the Forbidden City. I expect you guys to be on your best behavior.” She took roll call and the kid raised their hand every time they hear their name.

Renata had taken the window seat and Zhuang seized the opportunity to sit next to her. He heard the ride to the Forbidden City lasts an hour, so there's his big chance to just talk to her. Liang had did the same thing with Vita.

Zhuang and Liang are grateful that they will be able to talk with their crush, to get to know them even more. They are glad to talk to them in school and at the park where they hang out. But this gave them the opportunity to be with them for a whole day.

Liang them remembered what happened the day before when Song asked them what's it like in Venezuela.

“Hey,” Liang began, “what made you, um… kind of tense about Venezuela? I mean…”

“Oh. Um… there is some nice parts there, but sometimes, it gets depressing. It gets to me and my sister every now and then. Not the nicest country in the world.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, we had some bad memories. Sometimes we struggled to get through every once in awhile.”

“Like what?” asked Liang, more intrigued by what Vita saw through her eyes in her hometown growing up, along with her sister.

“Like, two months ago, I used to date this guy named Mateo. I thought he was a gentleman. A guy girls need in their relationship life. But mi amigas (my friends) warned me that he really plays these parts well,” Vita continued. “He’s using girls for whatever reason. To boost their popularity or something. I should've listened to them.”

She had taught Liang some useful Spanish terms for basic words like friends, food, home, etc. so Liang understood what she's saying.

Liang shook his head, “I don't like it when guys disrespect girls. I’m not that kind of guy. They're just trying to get attention. It may be “good” now, but they'll really regret it in the future. Women wouldn't trust him. They'll think, “Oh, he’ll probably engage me and ditch me when the day comes. He needs to be taught a serious lesson. Have a woman use him the way he did. He'll then understand the pain they had to go through.” Those kind of pain makes them feel bad about themselves. Like, they're not good enough. But I can guarantee you that there will be a better man for you.”

Vita smiled and felt her heart melt at Liang’s words. They are exactly what she needed to hear. 

“Anyway, what happened with you and Mateo?”

“Well, you see, a week after into our relationship, I walked in the hallway and I caught Mateo making out with another girl. So I stormed up to them, yanked the girl harshly off of them and said, ‘What did you think you're doing?’ Of course, we were interacting in Spanish. Anyway, he tried to come up with a pitiful excuse but I accused him of being a player. It's a slang for when a guy uses girls and date another one. And the girl who he was making out with said, ‘Hey! Don't you talk like that to him!’”

“And what did you say?”

“I said, ‘Shut up, puta.’ Before I slapped her.”

“What's a puta?” asked Liang. Vita chuckled at Liang’s confusion with the unfamiliar word. She leaned in to whisper in his ear and he chuckled as well.

“Yeah. That's what happened. I was mad for the rest of the day after that. I told Renata what happened and she understands. She threatened Mateo if he ever did that with another girl, she'll break his every bones." 

“Sorry to hear for your mishap,” Liang sympathized.

“It's alright,” she shrugged. “At least now I know to be more careful around guys.” Liang nodded.

Cut to Zhuang and Renata. "So, how long have you been doing Kung Fu?" "Since the age of 5. You remember those kids on the grass wearing red uniform?" Renata nodded, "Yeah, it's so cool. Seeing all of them doing the same thing, it's... I couldn't describe it." "Same here. I couldn't believe my eyes when I first saw it. It still amazes me today," said Zhuang. He continued. "So anyway, I was there until I was like, 12 when I advanced to Master Li's advanced class. That's when I met my friends. We were beyond confused with Master Li's methods but it took some getting used to." 

Before they knew it, they had made it to the Forbidden City. Everyone got off the bus as soon as Mrs. Po instructed them to.

As they got off, Renata and Vita looked around with amazement written on their faces.

“There's more behind that door,” Liang pointed out. "I know you will love it." 

Sometime later, a lady with a red flag and a bullhorn came to the students.

“Hi guys,” the woman said through the bullhorn. “Gather around here. As the emperor was considered to be divine, no mere mortal was permitted access. Hence the name, the Forbidden City.”

As soon as the gate opened, all the kids swarmed into the property. However, Vita and Renata stayed back to observe the area gracefully. Liang and Vita noticed and went to the girls.

“Remember what I told you?” Liang asked, smiling.

Knowing what Liang’s talking about, they laid their hand on the golden knob for a good minute.

“You guys always have some cool stuff in your culture. I love it,” said Renata. Vita nodded in agreement.

After that, they continued to follow the other. The girls are enjoying every second of this.

“So, how are you liking the Forbidden City?” asked Liang. 

“It was great! It looks beautiful on the inside,” said Vita.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Zhuang smiled.

They spent the day observing the architecture. They had learned about the history and the culture. Before they knew it, the field trip was over and they have to leave.

“I felt like we only saw the beginning,” Renata stated.

“I know,” Vita replied.

“There's actually a lot of cool places you guys can go to,” said Liang. “I'm not going to tell you yet, though.”

“That would be so cool,” Vita smiled widely.

“I’ll tell you guys about it later,” said Liang.

They boarded the bus and they took them back to school.

“Well, that was fun,” boasted Cheng.

“Couldn't agree more,” replied Keung, wrapping his arm around Cheng’s shoulder and kissing his cheek. The gang chuckled at their intimacy.

\--

After a fun day of the Forbidden City, Vita was lying awake on her bed, thinking about what she told Liang at the bus on their way to the Forbidden City. She was actually exaggerating a little bit. She wasn't 100% truthful but 95% of them are facts. She wasn't entirely ready to tell her full story of what her and her sister had gone through.

In the past three years, the two sisters had been struggling with depression. Because they been neglected by their schoolmates. Nobody would talk to them. They instead talk trash about them and how it would be awkward if they even make a conversation with them. They had no friends; just each other. They had also been bullied too, but not every day. 

At one point when Vita was in the middle of her 8th grade year, her math teacher, Mr. Mendez called her mother and told her that he is concerned for Vita because she never smiled once and hardly associated with her classmates. San Juana’s concern heightened when she was told that same goes for Renata. In fact, she got a same notification from a few other teachers as well.

That got her and Jorge to sit down the girls in the living room after dinner so they can tell them what's going on.

Having no choice, they told them everything. San Juana asked if they want to switch school but they refused. Jorge also asked that if they want to see a counselor or a therapist but they refused too. With the result they got, they were trying to figure out how to help them out of the situation but can't seem to find the answer.

Over the next two years, their depression had gotten worse to the point where they have bags under their eyes, their eyes wasn't shining as bright as they were when they were younger, started wear dull clothes, didn't even bother with a fake smile. Vita had merely read and practice her languages and Renata had barely pay attention in math class. She still listens to the direction but wasn't eyeing on the teacher.

Fast forward to January 2009, they decided that Mateo-- who's always gets in and out of the relationship with girls, thinking he’s all that-- had gone too far to give a person like her false hope and ended up breaking her heart a week later. This angered Renata and she threatened to break his every bones if he ever did that with another girl. Since then, Renata kind of got out of depression to help her sister. She's still depressed, but not as bad as before.

Then, two months later, fate had answered for them. Their parents had a job transfer to China and they accepted it because not only do they get to experience working in a foreign country, but they think it may help the girls and they can get away from Venezuela. It worked. It's progressing but it still worked.

It took her four months to muster up the courage to tell Liang her full story because with her "experience" with Mateo, she had never trusted another man since, aside from her father. But she relaxed herself by the fact that they naturally grew closer in four months. It's evident that he's not like Mateo and does care about her. It brought tears to her eyes because she was never that close with someone in a long time. He cared about her and she cared about him. It's a simple act of compassion that brought so much happiness to her. Before going to sleep, she texted Liang and ask for his address because she wanted to come over on Saturday and tell him something. He replied to her with his address and told her she asked him at a perfect time because his parents told him they are gonna be out all day that day.

Vita felt a bit nervous because asides from her sister and her parents, nobody else knew what she's going through. She relaxed herself and went to sleep.


	6. The Truth, Vita Edition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, there will be less of Mei Ying, Dre, and Harry as this story mainly focus on Liang, Vita, Zhuang, and Renata.
> 
> I also decided to change the title from The Karate Kid En Español to Newfound Happiness. The title says alot about the girls' characters. Since they were depressed for so long, it brought so much happiness and relief thanks to Liang and Zhuang and their friends.

Saturday came and after breakfast, Vita and Renata was in their room talking when Vita spoke up.

“Liang y yo habíamos estado hablamos anoche y decidí ir a su casa hoy.” (Liang and I had been talking last night and I decided to go over to his house today.)

“Ah, vale.” (Oh, okay.) Renata nodded.

“Te lo diré después de que regrese en unas pocas horas.” (I'll tell you after I come back in a few hours.)

“¿...Pocas horas…?” (Few hours…?) Renata thought. She doesn't know why, but something tells her she may knew what it's about.

“Hasta luego.” (See you later.) Vita walked off without waiting for a response.

She walked by her parents without a word with Renata following her, stopping by the living room.

“¿A dónde va?” (Where's she going?) San Juana asked.

“A la casa de nuestro amigo Liang.” (To our friend Liang's house.) Renata replied as Vita shuts the door behind her. “No sé porque, aunque.” (Don't know why, though.)

\--

As Vita walked to Liang's house following the direction he told her, which was just 5 minutes away from her apartment, she felt a bit nervous as she was about to reveal the truth of her past. What she told Liang four months prior was kinda like a teaser trailer and today, she's going to drop an extended version of it. She's happy that it'll be just her and Liang, not having to worry about his parents hearing their conversation.

As she stopped at her destination, she walked anxiously to the front door. Instead of knocking, she texted him saying that she's here. Less than a minute later, Liang opened the door and let her in.

“Hi, Liang,” Vita smiled.

“Hey,” Liang smiled back as he closed the door.

Vita looked around the place, observing every small details around her. He live in a really nice place.

Liang took her to his room. It was fairly big for him, his wall is blue, not dark but not bright either. He have his bed sitting on the left side of the room and his desk on the right. He have his rug containing an artistic picture of a dragon.

They walked and sat down on his bed. Vita sighed for what she's about to say.

“So, what is it you want to say?” asked Liang.

“I think you should get yourself comfortable first,” Vita instructed and he did as he was told.

“Okay. Here it go." She hesitated for a while before she began. “It all started three years ago during the summer of 2006. I don't know how it happened. I guess the atmosphere kind of killed the mood, you know?” Liang nodded.

“By the time school started at late September, it got harder for us. Remember how I told you I had some friends?” Liang nodded again. “Well, I lied. We didn't actually had friends. I only got Renata in school.”

Liang looked surprised. “How can they not be friends with you?”

“I guess they've been saying we might kill the fun after seeing us. So they just ignored us. Well, we used to have friends in elementary school, but as we starts middle school, they didn't keep in touch and we rarely had friends until it kind of stopped at 7th grade.

“One time, some boy pretended to “accidentally” bump into me. I was walking to class and he was running behind me and bumped into me. I dropped my books I was carrying and fell down. It hurts and everyone was laughing. He said sorry but I can hear the blatant sarcasm in his voice. I give him a blank expression and just walked away. I never felt so humiliated.”

Liang felt pain in his chest as he hears the struggle she’d gone through. She continued.

“And then, me and Renata never tried to socialize with anyone in school except for teachers. One day during the middle of the school year, a few of our teachers called our parents because they were concerned for us and told them we never smiled once and hardly socialize with any kids in our class. When we finished dinner after we got home, my parents told us they want to talk to us. Having no choice, we explained the whole thing.

“What we told them was, um…” Vita tried to explain but couldn't find words. Liang thought it was either a language barrier or she was just speechless.

“It's okay, take your time,” Liang reassured her.

Vita nodded. “Well, we told them what happened, like I just said. By the time school started, it wasn't the same for us. People bully us. Not as harshly though. Just a little enough to hurt us. They don't realize every little thing they do to intimidate us, they're making it worse. Like that one time, this boy said, "She's weird." The other boy asked, "Who?" and they were referring to me. That really hurt my feelings. Over the course of the next few months, it's gotten worse and worse. Every morning, me and Renata would cross our arms together and sticking our hands into our jacket pockets. Every weekend, after my mom told us breakfast is ready, I would sigh and lay in my bed for a few more seconds. I would always think that I wish I could lie in bed and forget everyone and everything.”

Liang laid his hand over Vita’s back in sympathy. He felt so bad for her, she had gone through so much. She and her sister went through a lot of pain and misery and neglect from their peers.

“So yeah, that's what I told them. Before then, we have to fake our smiles so they wouldn't get suspicious. Now that they knew, we didn't even bother with it. Except when family comes over. We do not want everyone to be fussing over us. I guess because me and Renata were afraid to waste their time. Anyway, they asked if we want to talk to our school counselor and we said no. They also asked if we want to make an appointment with a therapist. We said no too. We told them we won't want to talk to an old guy who we don't know about all our problems and receiving advices that we won't follow through anyway and it'll be a waste of money. I understand they might have some good advices but it just won't satisfy us. So it's been like that ever since.

“Over the course of the next two years, it's gotten worse. We started wearing dull clothes that defines our mood. Almost every night, I would sit at the edge on my bed and think about my problems and cry myself to sleep. I knew we might get physically sick from this depression. It all changed one afternoon after we came home from school and they told us about their job transfer to China. But the night before, as me and Renata was walking to our rooms, we overheard our parents talking and they were very worried about us and they were afraid that something might happen to us… the possibility of us getting sick and/or taking our lives if something doesn't get done.”

Liang gasped at Vita’s last statement and the thought of her and Renata’s loss of will to live going through their parents’ minds.

She continued, "I had just started thinking of suicide a day before we found out we were transferring."

“Liang, I wanna say thank you for listening. I just…” Vita started to get choked up.

“It's no problem. And I'm sorry you went through all that. I… I have no words.”

“I know. I'm so happy my parents have that job transfer. If it wasn't for that… me and Renata would've died from depression.” Liang felt his heart sink and he grabbed her in a hug. Vita held onto him tightly, indicating that she needed him into her life and started to cry. Her tears are dripping onto Liang's shoulder.

As he held her, he felt pain in his chest as he thought of what she told him. But he's also happy that she's alive. That job transfer had saved their lives.

About a couple minutes later, Vita pulled away and wiped her face, she said, “You're… you're actually the first friend I ever had in… in forever.”

Liang smiled. “Well, glad I can be your first. And I'm really happy to meet you.”

That really melted her heart as she pulled him in for a hug. As they do, Liang was thinking through some things. Liang pulled back. "Hey, can I tell you something?" "Sure, what is it?" "Well, I really like you... um, a lot. I don't think I ever met a Latina before. I like that." Vita blushed deep red and hugged him tighter.

“I love you, Liang. I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

They stayed in that position for a while longer with Liang stroking her back. Liang is seriously glad that she's alive and found a purpose to live her life: him. He is someone Vita can trust with her life, unlike that jerk Mateo.

In all likelihood, if their parents had never gotten that job transfer, Vita and Renata’s depression would've reached the point of no return. They would've gotten physically sick from depression. They would've gotten major headaches, stomach and back pains as symptoms. They would've just stay home, not even bother going to school, because what's the point? They barely had energy left to learn and get education with all the pain and chaos going through the girls’ minds.

If their parents prescribed them with Pepto in the duration of homebound, it's very likely that they would've lost the will to live and proceed to take their lives by overdosing during the night. That's how bad things had gotten, but as the two were closer to suicide, they moved to China. That can be the best thing ever happened to Vita and Renata.

Liang and Vita finally let go of each as Vita breathed a sigh of relief. He told a hold of her hand. They were nice and soft.

After spending two hours with him just talking about anything and everything, Vita’s phone vibrates. She picked it up and saw that she received a text message from Renata. It said;

“Hermana, la cena estará lista pronto.” (Sister, dinner will be ready soon.)

She replied back with; “Viniendo.” (Coming.)

“Well, I gotta get going. See you later." Vita got up and walked to the door. Before she even touched the doorknob, she turned to Liang.

“Thank again for listening and caring,” Vita smiled at him.

“Again, no problem. I’m always here for you,” Liang said, smiling back.

Before he knew it, Vita came closer to Liang and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed deeply and so was she.

“I’ll… I’ll see you tomorrow,” said Vita, clutching her blushing cheek. Liang nodded and she left.

\--

The rest of the way back home was exhilarating just thinking about what happened there. She was terribly anxious when she walked to his house but as she left, she feels kind of weird now that she exposed her past to Liang. She had just started to get used to hiding her past from everyone else but now that she let Liang know, it felt strange. But Vita knew that what exactly what she needed to do, because if she kept it contained, it won't be good and may lead to physical and mental destruction. She felt satisfied that Liang cares about her and is sensitive towards her and her past. She loves him so much, and she have no doubt that she will be with him for the rest of her life.

She love everything about Liang, including his handsome smile and his personality. 

\--

While they were waiting for Vita to come home, San Juana and Jorge were talking to Renata about how happy they are in China.

“¡Estoy tan feliz que tenemos esa transferencia de trabajo a China!” (I'm so happy the we have that job transfer to China.) beamed San Juana.

“Lo sé, yo también. De hecho, hicimos un montón de amigos en sólo unas horas después de pisar el pie en este país.” (I know, me too. We actually made plenty of friends in just a few hours after stepping foot into this country.) Renata replied.

“¡Me he dado cuenta! Ese lindo chico rubio. ¿Harry?” (I've noticed! That nice blonde boy. Harry?) Renata nodded.

“Sabes, noté que tu depresión empezó a morir desde que te dijimos que íbamos a China.” (You know, I noticed your depression has started to die down ever since we told you about us going to China.)

“Sí. No totalmente, pero fue bastante una mejora.” (Yeah. Not fully but it was quite an improvement.)

“Pero déjame decirte algo.” (But let me tell you something.) Renata continued. “La noche antes de que nos enteráramos de que nos estamos mudando a China, Vita y yo escuchamos que dijiste que tenías mucho miedo de que nos pasara algo. Como un punto de ruptura.” (The night before we found out we are moving to China, Vita and I overheard you saying that you were very afraid that something may happen to us. Like a breaking point.)

“Oh, tú escuchaste.” (Oh, you heard.) said San Juana.

“Sí, pero estas bien.” (Yeah, but it's fine.)

Then, they heard the door opening and closing and walked in Vita with a big smile on her face.

“¡Hola, todos!” (Hi, guys!) Vita greeted happily.

“¡Hola, Vita!” (Hi, Vita!) Her parents greeted while Renata smiled and waved.

“Déjame contarte lo que pasó hoy en la casa de Liang. Como todos saben, decidí ir allí porque había algo que me gustaría decirle. Larga historia corta, le conté innumerables detalles sobre los últimos tres años. Sentía tanta simpatía por lo que yo y Renata pasamos.” (Let me tell you what happened today at Liang’s house. As you all know, I decided to go over there because there was something I would like to tell him. Long story short, I told him countless details about the past three years. He felt so much sympathy for what me and Renata went through.)

“Sabía que eso era lo que quería decir con "pocas horas". Y esa mirada en su cara.” (I knew that’s what she meant by ‘few hours’. And that look on her face.) Renata thought.

“Pero eso no es todo.” (But that's not all.) Vita continued. "Él me dijo que le gusto. Dijo que nunca había conocido a una latina y que le gusta." (He told me that he likes me. He said he never met a Latina before and that he likes it.) 

“Aw, estoy muy feliz por ti, mija!” (Aw, I am so happy for you, my daughter!) beamed San Juana.

“¡Muchas gracias!” (Thank you so much!) replied Vita with a big smile on her face.


	7. The Truth, Renata Edition

The following night after Vita had told the truth to Liang, she is recommending Renata to do the same with Zhuang.

Sitting in their room after dinner, Vita is happy to tell her sister about her revealing the truth to Liang.

“Me sentí un poco mejor contándole a Liang todo sobre los últimos tres años. Fue bastante difícil incluso discutirlo, pero ciertamente ayudó. Él era muy comprensivo acerca de mi ... (mouthing) pensamiento suicida.” (I felt kind of better telling Liang about everything from the last three years. It was pretty hard to even discuss it but it certainly did helped. He was very understanding about my… (mouthing) suicidal thought.) said Vita.

Renata was pretty surprised at her sister's last two words.

“¿Lo hiciste? Pensé lo mismo…” (You did? I thought the same thing…) She said quietly. Both girls had not told their parents and they knew they have the right to know. But they fears bringing up the topic because they don't want their parents to freak out too much. 

“Lo sabían, pero todavía tenemos que decírselo.” (They sort of knew but we still have to break it to them.) Renata nodded in agreement.

“Chica, deberías decirle a Zhuang lo que pasó, también. Sobre lo que pasamos.” (Girl, you should tell Zhuang what happened, too. About what we went through.) Vita recommended.

“Tienes razón. Voy a. Sólo tendré que arreglarlo.” (You're right. I will. I'll just have to arrange it, though.) Renata nodded.

“Sí.” (Yeah.) Vita agreed.

“Buenas noches.” (Good night.) And the girls went to sleep.

\--

The next Monday at math, Renata mustered up the courage to tell Zhuang something before the tardy bell rang. Everyone was excited because the school year was almost over and signing each other's yearbook. Zhuang sat down at his desk with a smile expression on his cute face. 

“What's up?”

"Not much. Hey, um... there's some stuff I need to tell you. Not here. It's, um... kinda private.”

“Oh okay. My house this weekend?” Zhuang suggested.

“Sure, sounds good.” That's good because summer had just about to start soon. Their last day is the following Friday.

\--

On a early Saturday morning at 6am, she lie awake thinking what will she say to Zhuang. She had woke up half an hour earlier and is quite nervous. But when she remembered what Vita told her, that it felt good getting all the stuff off her chest to a well-trusted person besides her parents. They loves their parents and all, but for some reasons, they weren't in the mood to tell them, even though they knew half the stuff going on. They still didn't know about their suicidal thoughts, although the thought hadn't last long. For Vita, however, she started having those thoughts a day before they found out about their move to China.

But for Renata, was a bit different. She have a low immune system and have a bit of a problem with her school attendance. It seems with her depression, it had gotten worse.

Normally, she’d missed approximately like 5 to 7 days each semester. But starting 8th grade in second level, she missed 15 days of school in the first semester and 12 days in the second semester, which was a total of 27 days. Her attendance limit each semester is 13 days, but she saves her credit by attending to make-up credit hours, which wasn't hard for her since she's smart. And when she was in 9th grade, she missed 14 days and 17 days in the first and second semester, the total of 30 days. This year's attendance before relocating to China, wasn't good. She missed 16 days in the first semester and missed 9 days so far in this semester, but tried to come to school even if she's a bit sick. Sometimes she was successful, sometimes she wasn't. All in all, she missed a complete total of 82 days in the last 3 years. Her parents tried to home-school her so she won’t have to worry about her attendance, but she promptly refused. She doesn't want her sister to be all alone at school, supposedly making it even worse than needed.

There are some days when she's very sick that she had to be hospitalized, and usually gets discharged in at least several days. It depresses her because she hates hospitals. People dies. The food tastes like crap. And there's nothing you can do. You always have to uses bedpan, and it's gross. She absolutely hates that. And the policy is to leave in a wheelchair. Which sucks.

It was so difficult for her. With the addition of being stuck in a hospital countless days in total, it makes it worse.

Her sister Vita had thought of suicide a day before finding out they're relocating to China, but she herself had for a while. She was actually considering it and do it soon, not long before the job transfer announcement. The day they found out they're moving to China, she'd barely finished her work as she warped her mind. She was planning to do it after everyone is asleep. After moving to China, she started having second thoughts on that topic and is very glad she didn't do it, which leave her on the brink of emotion. 

She was so lost in thought of her difficult past that she didn't realize it was 6:30am. Like Vita, she planned to go over to Zhuang’s house after breakfast.

She decided to use the rest of her spare time to mentally practice her speech a little before heading out.

Before she knew it, her parents called her and Vita down for breakfast.

After some conversations with her parents and Vita, she told them that she will be out for a few hours. Vita immediately knew what's going on because she did the same thing she did with Liang.

After breakfast, she walked to Zhuang’s house. It was a 10 minutes walk but she doesn't mind the exercise. He told her his parents usually worked at the weekend so he's often home alone. But he uses his leisure time to either hang out with his friends or do his homework.

After what seems like forever, she made it to his house. Without hesitation, she knocked on his door. Not a minute later, he opened it, and led her in.

“Hi, Zhuang,” she greeted and walked in.

“Hi, Renata,” Zhuang replied with an adorable smile on his face.

They walked into Zhuang’s room, which was fairly large and spacious.

“Sit down,” she instructed as they made themselves comfortable.

“So, what's up?” asked Zhuang.

“Well, it began in 2006 after school was over for the summer. I don't know. It sort of, happened all of a sudden. I think it's the lack of friends we have. Like, social isolation. Just seeing people having fun with their friends and putting down me and my sister by the fact that we have no friends just to make us miserable. We used to have them but they kind of abandoned us.” Zhuang nodded as Renata continued.

“You see, I have a low immune system. I get sick quite easily. It gets worse during winter time, because of the weather. I missed school over the number of limit. Normally, our absence limit is 13 days each semester but I missed more than that. My parents asked me if I want to be homeschooled, but I promptly refused. I don't want to leave my sister all alone. For some reason, without her telling me, I knew she felt the same way. Me and Vita continued to get more depressed day by day. If I was homeschooled, my sister would be all alone and it would rapidly get worse for her. We have each other's back.

“There are most days when I get really sick where my parents have to take me to the hospital, I would hate it. Hospital sucks. It's always depressing. Everytime I get discharged, the doctors always asked if I need anything and I would get annoyed and say, “Estoy bien”; I'm fine. So, halfway to the following school year, after that summer, some of my teachers became concerned when they noticed that me and Vita never smiled and never socialize with our classmates. So they called our parents and they decided to arrange a meeting for us to tell them what's going on. So we told them the whole thing, you know.”

Renata felt pain in her chest as she recalled the trauma of her past. She took a moment to continue.

Cute little Zhuang places his hand on her shoulder.

“It's alright,” Zhuang reassured her.

“Thanks,” Renata smiled. His cuteness just made things easier now. Those innocent childish eyes are irresistible.

She felt like she couldn't talk anymore as she became overwhelmed with her emotion.

“Take your time, don't overwhelm yourself,” Zhuang reassured her again.

“I seriously love this little boy so much,” Renata thought.

She took a few minutes to relax herself before continuing.

“Anyway, um... about a week before we prepared to move here... uh..." Her emotion start to take more control for what she was about to say.

“I had contemplated on… taking my own life.”

That shocked Zhuang. He had never knew anybody who would do such a thing! Although he had hear about people committing suicide, but this is different. Having met someone personally who thought of that stuff feels... strange. But that shouldn't be any different. She struggled a lot for the past 3 years.

Despite being a bit smaller, he decided to take her under his wings. Tears flowed down her face and she sighed as she recalled that she would actually end her own life. She was just about ready to accept Death. But as she landed in China and met an adorable little guy, Zhuang, she couldn't be more glad that she didn't do it. What was she thinking?

“Hey...,” Zhuang reached his hand out to comfort her by stroking her arm. “Um, you got us now. It's the worst decision to make but I can't blame you for thinking like that. Don't beat yourself up about it. A lot of people thought of that and most of them actually did it. I'm sure you know that too.”

She nodded. “I do.”

She was trembling as she mentally went over the trauma of the last 3 years of her life. The boy scooted closer so she could hug him like a mother holding her baby. She felt so much comfort by hugging her crush. It felt like holding her baby brother who deserves love.

After a while, she stopped, wiping tears off her eyes.

“Thank you. I need it off my chest. My sister insisted so after doing the same with Liang.”

“Really?”

She nodded, “We both had depression problem. For 3 years. I guess what people say, “Great mind think alike.”

“That's true.”

“Yeah. Long story short, she used to date a guy a couple months ago. It lasted only a week. She saw him with another girl. She got mad and I got mad at Mateo, the guy she used to dated, and I told him that if he hurt my sister or another girl, I will break his bone.”

“Wow, that's nice of you to care about your sister.”

“Yeah. We do fight sometimes but not always.”

“What siblings doesn't?”

They both shared laugh.

“Well, I wanna tell you thank you for listening. Our parents insisted we see a therapist. But I told them we won't follow through and that they're just wasting their money.”

“I understand that.” She nodded.

They spoke for sometimes before she had to head back home.

“Well, I'll see you around, Zhuang.”

“See you.”

And with that, she left home with a satisfied smile on her face.


	8. Liang and Vita

Liang and Vita are walking in the park, holding hands. It was slightly dark and there wasn't too many people, just fair amount of people that makes it peaceful. Their friends were busy so they couldn't hang out with them but that's completely fine with them. At least they have some time to themselves.

“Hey, Vita, I want you to know, no matter what you go through, I'll always be there for you. Regardless of what happened to you in the past, it won't change us,” said Liang.

Vita smiled ear to ear. “Liang, that made me so happy.”

“Well, it's important to know life's worth living.”

Vita wrapped her arms around Liang tight with him hugging her tightly. Vita felt a great sense of appreciation whenever she's around Liang. But she knew she may have episodes of when she just didn't want to do anything. But it depends when she surrounded herself with people she loves, her family, friends and Liang.

Their moment were interrupted when Vita’s phone vibrates. She pulled away and took her phone, receiving a text from her cousin Darius.

‘Hola, V, ¡no había oído hablar de ti! ¿Cómo te gusta China?’ (Hey, V, I hadn't heard of you! How are you liking China?)

She replied with, ‘Lo siento, he estado ocupado con todo. Me gusta mucho China. Conocí a un chico que me entiende.’ (Sorry, I've been busy with everything. I like China a lot. I met a guy who understands me.)

“Who's that?” Liang asked.

“My cousin Darius.”

“Cool, what’d he say?”

“He asked how's China and I told him I met a guy who understands me.” 

Liang smiled and adjusted her hair on her side before leaning down and pressing his lips against hers. She was a little taken back before she relaxed and put her hands over his shoulders. They released each other a few moments later with Vita smiling shyly as blush crept up her face.

“¿Te gustaría… vienes conmigo… a la Qi Xi Festival?” (Would you like to… come with me… to the Qi Xi Festival?) Liang asked nervously.

Vita smiled widely. “Yes, I would like to go with you. When is it?”

“In a couple of months,” Liang replied.

"And my sister taught you that, right?" Vita asked, even though she knew the answer.

"Yes," Liang nodded.

(Sorry if it a bit too short, I'm having writer block.)


	9. He's Here

At the Qi Xi festival, Liang and Vita were holding hands, laughing and having with each other. Renata and Zhuang were somewhere else within the festival area. The two pairs went their separate way, wanting alone time with each other.

They had watched the Shadow Theater and both girls enjoyed it as the boys told them about the first time they saw Zhinü and Niulang when they were little kids.

After the festival ended, the four were walking home together. Vita saw something, or someone, that made her froze as her heart jumped into her throat, holding Liang’s hand very tightly.

“What’s the matter?” Liang asked, concerns written on his handsome face, ignoring the pain on his hand.

“It's not who I thought it is… Is it?” Vita asked fearfully.

“Who?” Zhuang asked.

Someone was approaching the couple and as he came into view, that someone turned out to be…

“Mateo?!” Vita asked/yelled.

“Oh… Hey, Vita…” Mateo stammered.

Vita literally do not know what to do. Her words were stolen from her and she stood there very still like a statue. Meanwhile, familiarity tugged the back of Liang’s head. Then he remembered during her emotional story she told him a couple months before, she mentioned him.

“Mateo? Isn't that the guy who cheated on you?” Liang asked. Even though he knew, he just wanted to clarify the answer.

“Yes,” Renata answer for her.

“Look, Vita, let me explain…” Mateo began.

“Mateo, I swear I will…!” Liang tried with a threatening look on his face.

“Liang, let him,” Vita interrupted him softly as her grip loosened.

“My family moved here a few days ago. I'm not trying to stalk you, it's not like that. I would never do that. My family got a job transfer. Weird since you were here for job related issue. You were right. I am a stupid, selfish guy. I had stopped dating girls and focus more onto my education. And then, before I knew it, I'm here. If you want, I'll stay completely away from you.”

Vita doesn't know what to say. In fact, she doesn't even know if she should say something.

“Mateo, do you attend Beijing high school?” Renata asked.

“Yes,” Mateo nodded. Then he turned to Liang. “Who are you exactly?”

“I'm Liang, her novio. And that's Zhuang. Novio de Renata.”

“Oh. Well, good for you. You deserve a real man. Have a nice night.” Mateo then walked away.

“Vita… how do you feel?” Liang asked. He was really concerned for her because he hurt her feelings before.

“I… don't… know. Let's go home, we'll deal with it tomorrow.”

“Good idea, I'm a little tired tonight,” Zhuang agreed.

Liang threw his arm over Vita's shoulder. He hopes this encounter doesn't affect her too much.

\--

The next morning, Vita awoke from a dreamless night. After a minute figuring out what happened last night, she sighed. It doesn't seem real. Maybe it's probably a dream. But if it’s not, how will she deal with this situation?

Renata stirred awake and saw her sister sitting on her bed, appearing in deep thoughts.

“Hola. ¿Estás bien, hermana?” (Hey. You alright, sis?) Renata asked.

“Sí. Solo estoy averiguando qué hacer. Por alguna razón, no me siento enojado. Estoy ... confundido, supongo.” (Yeah. I'm just figuring out what to do. For some reason, I don't feel angry. I'm… confused, I guess.)

“¿Con Mateo?” (With Mateo?), Renata asked and Vita nodded.

“¡Niñas, desayuno!” (Girls, breakfast!) Their mother suddenly yelled out.

They both went into the kitchen and sat down.

“¿Cómo estuvo anoche?” (How was last night?) San Juana asked.

After telling them everything happened, including the Shadow Theater, Vita felt nervous to tell them about her encounter with Mateo.

“Sin embargo, vimos a ... cierto alguien.” (However, we saw a… certain someone.)

“¿Quién?” (Who?) asked Jorge.

“Mateo,” Vita replied quietly.

“¿Mateo? ¿Realmente?” (Mateo? Really?) San Juana asked with a shocked look on her face. She remembered Renata telling them what happened between him and Vita.

“Sí. Se mudó aquí recientemente. ¿Cómo trato con esto?” (Yes. He moved here recently. How do I deal with this?) Vita asked. She wanted to look for answers.

“Pues, tal vez podrías hablar con él…” (Well, perhaps you could talk to him…) San Juana suggested.

“Um… vale, supongo.” (Um… okay, I guess.) Vita hesitantly replied.

\--

Later that day, she was walking to the park and found Liang. She had told him she want to meet up with him so she can ask about his opinion about Mateo.

“Hey, Liang. Um… what do you think about Mateo being here? I guess you're probably thinking of kicking him all the way back to Venezuela, huh?”

“Well, honestly, I respect how you feel. If you're angry, I get it. If you want me to give him a beating, I'd gladly do so,” said Liang.

“I appreciate that but, for some reason, instead of being angry, I'm more like… confused. My mom suggested that I should talk to him,” Vita replied.

Liang hesitated for a moment. “Okay. If he does anything…”

“I won't let him, Liang. In fact, you are to be by my side. I need moral support.”

Liang held both her hands. “I got you, mi amor.”

“Thank you, Liang. I love you.”

“Love you, too,” Liang smiled and pecked her lips. As if on cue, Mateo walked up to them.

“Hey.”

Vita looked at him. “Oh. Hey, Mateo.” She spoke with Mateo in English so Liang can understand her.

“Look, Vita, I know that you're angry with what I had done to you--” He was interrupted by Vita.

“Stop right there. I am angry that you would do that to me. Clearly, you had no idea who I am, what I've been through. What made you come for me?”

“Honestly, I never really noticed you because you're somewhat like a wallflower, but my idiot self were always looking for girls to “date”. I guess it's a “pass-by-and-took-a-notice” kind of thing. I know you still hate me but I…” He stopped mid-sentence because he thought it would be awkward saying this with Liang right there. Then he have an idea.

“Pensé un poco. Sé que suena a cliché, pero ... No podía dejar de pensar en ti. Sabía que se suponía que no debía hacer lo que hice, pero terminé haciéndolo de todos modos.” (I did some thinking. I know it sounds cliché but… I couldn't stop thinking about you. I knew I wasn't supposed to do what I did, but I ended up doing it anyway.)

Liang got confused and a little suspicious that he was speaking English a second ago, now he's speaking Spanish. He is certain that there's something Mateo didn't want him to hear.

Vita stared at him, looking almost annoyed. “Mateo…”

“Lo sé, lo entiendo. Ya conseguiste un novio, pero solo quiero decírtelo. Pero no te haré nada, te lo prometo. No quiero interrumpir tu relación.” (I know, I get it. You already got yourself a boyfriend but I just want to say it to you. But I won't do anything to you, I promise you. I don't want to disrupt your relationship.)

Liang was by the time glaring at him. He can't control the feeling of jealousy when Mateo was talking to Vita. He have a feeling that he may do something to anger him.

Vita thought for a moment, before she finally reverts back to English. “Okay. Alright. Remember I said that you didn't know what I've been through?”

Mateo nodded. “Well, here's the story. But I'll only summarize it. For the past 3 years, me and my sister had been having problems with depression after being socially isolated and people bullying us verbally. But you worsened this problem for me. Shortly before we moved here, we both agreed to commit suicide. But we changed our minds as soon as we landed here and met great people.”

Mateo was immediately taken over by guilt. It was no wonder she wasn't very social.

“I'm… I'm really--” Vita interrupted him again.

“Don't. I told Liang my story and he told he'd love me no matter the circumstances.”

“Oh, that's nice of him. I mean, you deserve someone who's understanding and all ear.”

“Thanks,” Vita replied.

“Well, I'll… see you around, I guess.” Mateo walked away. Liang mentally sighed in relief.

Vita sensed there's something wrong with Liang. “Liang, are you alright?”

Liang sighed. “I can't lie to you, but I don't like it when Mateo talks to you. I mean, it makes me feel like he's trying to do something.”

“Liang, relax, he won't. I'll make sure of that.”

Liang smiled and kissed her.


	10. Forgiveness

The next day, Mateo was strolling around the park when he saw Renata talking with Zhuang on the bench. He approached them and as they looked up, their mood instantly change.

“Hey guys. Um, ¿puedo tener el número de Vita? Me gustaría hablar con ella.” (Um, can I have Vita’s number? I would like to talk to her.) Mateo spoke in Spanish because he felt awkward having to say it in front of Zhuang. He assumed he couldn't understand it.

“¿Y puedo preguntar por qué?” (And may I ask why?) Renata stared at him suspiciously. She will not allow him hurting her sister again.

“Porque quiero reconciliarme con ella. No estoy tratando de llegar con ella, sé que ya no está disponible.” (Because I want to reconcile with her. I am not trying to get with her, I know she is not available anymore.)

Renata stared at him for a minute. She saw a hint of sincerity in him. “Vale. Puedes tener su número y ponerte de su lado positivo con ella. Pero con una condición. La lastimaste de nuevo, nunca te perdonaremos.” (Okay. You can have her number and get on her good side with her. But on one condition. You hurt her again, we will never ever forgive you.)

Mateo nodded. “Sí. Yo entiendo.” (Yes, I understand.)

Renata gave him her sister's numbers. She doesn't even have to worry him hurting her, because she knows Liang will destroy him.

“Gracias.” (Thank you.) And he left.

“What are you guys talking about?” Zhuang asked.

“He just wants Vita’s numbers so he can reconcile with her. I told him we will never forgive him if he dares hurt her again,” Renata replied.

“Oh. I just hope he won't commit a ridiculous act again,” said Zhuang with a worried look on his face.

“He won't. Liang will take care of him,” Renata smiled.

“Oh yes, he will,” Zhuang smiled back.

\--

Later that night, Vita got ready for bed and bidded good night to Renata. She fell asleep quickly and she herself was just about to turn in when she received a text from an unknown number.

“Hola, Vita. Es Mateo. Tu hermana me dio tus números. Quiero restablecer la paz contigo.” (Hey, Vita. It's Mateo. Your sister gave me your numbers. I want to restore peace with you.)

Vita sighed and thought for a minute before replying, “Vale. Estás perdonado. Pero no podemos hablar mucho porque estoy con Liang y él no está muy contento de ti. Pero hablaré con él sobre esto. Y ciertamente no puedes hacer ningún movimiento. Liang te destruirá. Él se preocupa por mí y quiere asegurarse de que haga todo lo que pueda para ayudarme con mi depresión.” (Okay. You are forgiven. But we can't talk much because I'm with Liang and he is none too happy of you. But I will talk to him about this. And you certainly can't make any moves. Liang will destroy you. He cares about me and want to make sure he does everything he can to help with my depression.)

Mateo read her texts carefully. He felt guilty he contributed to her depression by his stupid behavior towards her.

“Lamento mucho haber contribuido a tu depresión con mi comportamiento hacia ti. No sabía que estabas sufriendo tanto. Pero me alegra que hayas encontrado a alguien que te apoye. ¿Estás mejorando con tu depresión?” (I am really sorry I added up to your depression by my behavior toward you. I didn't know you were suffering so much. But I am glad you found someone who supports you. Are you getting better with your depression?) He doesn't know much about depression but he knows it is a serious condition that can take lives.

Vita smiled slightly at Mateo's words. He turned out to be a nice guy, he just constantly used girls.

“Gradualmente, sí, gracias. Liang realmente me apoyó. Él es un tipo realmente comprensivo que se preocupa por mí. Pero sé que en el futuro, puedo tener episodios cuando no quería hacer nada.” (Gradually, yes, thank you. Liang really supported me through. He is a real understanding guy who care about me.)

Mateo replied with,”Que bueno. Buena noche.” (That's good. Good night.)

\--

Vita and Liang are walling in the park as they held hands.

“Hey, Liang. Um… last night, Mateo texted me, saying that he wants to restore peace with me and apologized to me for contribution to my depression. I told him I forgave him and that I am doing better. But I made sure to tell him that he can't talk to me much as I have you and you would destroy him if anything happens.”

Liang felt annoyed that Mateo is taking to his Vita. But she said to him that they will make sure that he doesn't do anything, even though he said he wouldn't.

“Well, I'm happy that he cares about your well-being as I do. And I felt easily annoyed by him, but I guess I'll be okay as long as you are.

“I forgave him from this,” said Vita, smiling.

“Then he have my acceptance,” Liang smiled.

“Thank you for trying to accept him.” Vita pecked him on his lips and they strolled around the park, holding his hands.


End file.
